The Land of the Northmen

by Griff Hosker

  They spoke for a long time. Eventually Flambard the Fishermen returned. He was flanked by what I took to be his eldest sons. I saw that Mathilde hovered nearby. She was not afraid of us. “You say you would be our lord. The one you slew, Guillaume, took our taxes and he took a tenth of our catch yet when the men from Angia came to raid he did nothing.”

  I now understood his belligerence. He did not wish to substitute one absent lord for another. He wanted his family protecting. “If you are of the Clan of the Horse then the men of Angia will not attack you. We have mighty ships and we will raid them and punish them.” I realised that Alain and Ragnvald were both right. The Allfather was guiding my hand. I pointed to Ragnvald. “This is my son. He and his men will build a hall here and they will be able to protect you. They will dig a ditch and if you are threatened you can take refuge in the hall and they will fight for you.”

  Flambard frowned, “They are here to keep us prisoner?”

  “You have fishing ships and the seas are wide. You can go wherever you wish. We hold no man prisoner but if you are of the clan then that means you obey our laws. We will not ask you to change your religion. Some of these men follow the White Christ. In time there may even be a church here but if war comes then you and your family fight for me against any of our enemies.”

  I saw him considering my words. I had not lied to him and I had been blunt. I hoped that he would respect that. He nodded and stepped forward with his arm held out, “We have little to lose. We were left alone and we lost family. We were kept poor and ignored.” I clasped his arm. “Tell me lord, when do you collect your taxes?”

  “We do not. Give some of your catch to my son. They will give your women wheat and you will all have bread.”

  “Then this might work. We shall see.”

  As we turned Ragnvald said, “That Mathilde is a fiery one! She was not afraid of you or her father! She is like a she wolf.”

  I looked at my son. There was admiration in his words. Was this the Norns at work once more? We rode to Ċiriċeburh. We would spend the night there. Bertrand was interested to hear our news. “So old Flambard is still alive.”

  “You know him?”

  He shook his head, “I know his story. His father was lord of this land until he fell foul of Emperor Charlemagne. It is said that Flambard’s father tried to make his fortune fighting against the Moors but he lost his life. Flambard raised the family. Without land, he turned to the sea. I had thought him long dead.”

  “Then I see why he is suspicious of all lords. He wants to live alone and by his rules.” I smiled, “He could be a Viking!” Turning to my son I said, “Use that knowledge, Ragnvald. Do not bother him and his family. His home is a base for you. I would rather you rode the borderlands to the south and watched for Franks.”

  “That suits me father. I would rather ride than sit and grow fat.”

  “We leave tomorrow, Bertrand. I would have you do two things: send men back with Ragnvald to build a hall. You should build it far enough from Flambard’s home so that he does not feel you are encroaching on his land.”

  “Aye father.”

  “And the second, lord?”

  “Have you crews for the Frankish ships?”

  “Two of them are crewed. We have yet to sail them.”

  “I will leave the horses here. Tomorrow I would have them sail Einar and myself to the Haugr. We will take Einar’s drekar. I intend to raid the Isle of the sheep. With two Franks and a small drekar we may be able to sneak close without being noticed.”

  Einar asked, “Isle of the sheep?”

  “It is an island in Cent. I say island but it is only one because it has two rivers around it. The land is flat and they raise sheep there. The salt grass makes for fine meat and they do not need to bring them in over winter. They keep more alive. It is Egbert’s larder. We can take many sheep. The older ones we can slay and the younger ones use to improve our flocks. It will be a chance for Einar here to blood his men and to get weapons and treasure.”

  “Treasure from shepherds?”

  “There is a church there and a small town. I will take more than your crew. We will take another ten men to double crew your drekar and I will put warriors on the Frankish ships. We fatten up this winter for when the new grass comes there will be war.” I looked at Bertrand, Ragnvald and Alain of Auxerre. Then we shall see if our horseman are the equals of the Franks!”

  Chapter 16

  ‘Bear’s Claw ’ was a better drekar than I expected. She was fast and, because of her size, she was both lithe and agile. She was like a colt who could twist and turn. She was able to use every breath of wind. Our voyage north was only hampered by the lumbering Franks who sailed with us. They wallowed rather than sailed. ‘Bear’s Claw ’ was like a sheepdog nipping back and forth behind them. As we neared the coast of Cent I noticed that the weather was changing. A squall approached. It made visibility difficult. We had to sail in closer formation. With the two Franks astern of us, I guided Einar around the north side of the island. The town was close to the confluence of the two rivers. We could have landed and just taken their sheep but I did not wish to risk their warriors interrupting us. We would take the small town first and loot it. Then it would be easier to gather the sheep. We would have to slaughter some. They would be easier to take back. The best young sheep would be taken to become part of our new flocks. With so many new farmers we needed breeding stock for them.

  The sun set in the west but it was hard to see when. The sky went from grey to greyer and then black. The island was so low that it was hard to see where the sea ended and the land began. We were fortunate that the drekar was so shallow. I kept a close watch to the landward side as we edged east. With the wind from the north we were in great danger of being driven on to the shore. As far as I knew there were few rocks there but I did not wish us to be stuck on the mud either. It was another reason to head directly to the houses. We could land on the quay there. I had the drekar double crewed. My warriors helped them to row. Despite the newness of the boat our passage was smooth and the oars sliced through the water. I had asked for volunteers. The ones who were with me were amongst my most experienced warriors. If we failed, then it would not be because of their shortcomings.

  The training Ulf Big Nose had given me came to my aid. I smelled the slightest hint of wood smoke and, as I stared east, I caught a brief flash of light as the door of a hut was opened and the firelight glowed within. We were close. I donned my helmet and drew my sword. The ship’s boy was Bergil the Squirrel. He had been named because of his ability to scamper up the lines. My men had been wary of sailing with him for they remembered the black squirrel. I hoped that nothing untoward would happen for if it did my men would not sail with the boy again. I did not think he was unlucky. He was a quick-witted boy and fearless. He clung to the prow with a rope in hand. He was ready to leap and secure us regardless of the danger.

  Once again, the Allfather had helped us with the weather. This was not the time of year for raids and there were no sentries. Even had there been I am not sure that they would have seen us for it was a murky and gloomy night. I signalled with my sword for the landward side oars to be taken in. Einar had already dropped the sail. I leapt at the same time as Bergil the Squirrel. The wooden quay was greasy and slippery. I almost came to grief. What I could not avoid, however, was making a noise and, as I landed, the door of a hut some twenty paces from me opened and I saw, by the glow from the fire, a man. Even as Bergil tied the drekar to the stanchion the man shouted, “Vikings!”

  I was on him in three strides and I rammed Heart of Ice into him. It was too late, of course, and the alarm was given. My men tumbled over the side as the two Franks bumped into the quay and disgorged the other ten warriors who had crewed them. Inside the hut was a woman and children. The children wailed and the woman held them tightly to her. “Stay here and you will live. My men will slay any they see outside. Understand?”

  The woman nodded. I turned and went to join my men
. I heard the clash of metal on metal. There were warriors on the island. I heard the tolling of a bell. It was the church and they would be summoning help. I turned, “Erik Long Hair, go and take men. Silence the bell.” A sudden thought struck me. “If you can get it then bring it back. A bell might make many swords.”

  “Aye Jarl Hrolf.”

  “The rest of you, with me. Einar Bear Killer is in trouble.” The rain and the murk made it hard to see but flashes of sparking and clashing metal showed me that Einar and his men had taken on Saxon warriors. The new members of my clan were brave. Folki and the ones who followed me would not let this be their one and only raid for the Clan of the Horse. We roared to their aid. There is nothing more frightening than a band of mailed and masked Vikings with blood lust in their throats. It mattered not that I led a mere ten. These were my warriors and the best that I had ever led.

  I brought Heart of Ice and severed the right arm of the thegn who was about to slay one of Einar’s men. He looked around in surprise as blood pumped from the arm. I brought my sword around in a wide sweep and took his head. The skull flew into the air. Folki used a twohanded swing to hack into the mailed middle of a second housecarl. The man wore mail but Folki had a Bagsecg made weapon. Our sudden attack had done the job. All the warriors lay dead. There had only been ten and only three had had mail. Two of Einar’s men lay dead but the rest had survived. I noticed that the bell had ceased to toll.

  “Folki, take our men and begin to gather the sheep. Einar, strip the bodies and take the weapons, mail and your dead to the drekar. Then select the best Saxons as captives.”

  “Aye jarl.”

  This had become a stronger place since I had last visited. The Saxons were learning to guard what they had. I now saw the plan of the Allfather. He had directed my footprints to the land of the Franks so that we could make it our own. Einar’s experience in Norway told me that many more would be coming. They would flock to my land which was a paradise compared with the harsh and unforgiving fjords and mountains of Norway. I wandered back to the drekar and the Frankish ships. The two vessels might be slow but they had huge space for cargo. The decks had been removed so that we could gain access to their cavernous holds. There were six warriors who would butcher and skin the older animals. It would take time but it would allow us to take meat back with us. We had barrels already waiting to take the carcasses. As soon as we reached our home it would be either cooked or preserved. With winter almost upon us, it would be a welcome and unexpected feast for my people.

  It took until dawn for the sheep to be brought and penned by the ships. The cacophony of noise and the smell of defecating animals made it seem more like a market. The Saxon dead had been moved away for the smell made the sheep skittish. Folki had also found a few pigs. They were a treasure and we loaded them on the drekar. Erik Long Hair had the monks and priests drag the bell down to the harbour. The abbot, who bore the mark of a blow to the face wagged a finger at me, “Pagan! Barbarian! You will pay for this outrage! This bell was given to the church by King Egbert himself. He will not rest until you are hunted down and slain!”

  I nodded, “Priest, Saxons have been saying that since I first began raiding. I live and yet your thegn lies dead. Ask yourself whose God is more powerful.”

  “Do we take these priests? Sigtrygg received a good price in Dyflin.”

  I shook my head, “We have not enough room. We came for sheep and a few captives. Some of these women look like they will bear fine warriors. Einar Bear Killer can have his first choice. The priests can spread the terror of our raid.”

  By noon we were ready to leave. It was then we saw the mounted warriors to the west. Twenty of them led the local fyrd, all fifty of them. They brandished their swords at us and taunted us to cross the river and to fight them. Einar Bear Killer asked, “Do we fight them?”

  Folki laughed, “You have much to learn. We choose our battles. There is little to be gained by fighting them. We could defeat them but you and your men do not have mail. We would lose men. You have lost two already. We cannot afford to lose more. Jarl Hrolf is a wise leader. He chooses his battles.”

  “Folki is right. We may return when we have all four drekar filled with warriors and when we come we will leave a mark that they will not be able to shift. This is a victory. Take it.”

  The wind still blew from the north and the two heavily laden Frankish ships left first. I said to Einar, “You still wish to fight the Saxons?”

  “I see the wisdom in your words. I am content.”

  I nodded to Erik Long Hair and Beorn Fast Feet, “Take out the Saami bows. Let us have a little sport with the Saxons. Einar, take us towards them. Have your men sing. The Saxons will not understand the words but it is the gesture which is important.”

  Fótr and Folki were brothers free

  Seeking fortune they sailed the sea

  The Norns brought them to the land of the horse

  They sailed they thought a charmed course.

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  Lying Frank and treacherous Dane

  Proved to be Fótr’s bane

  They fought as men all shield brothers

  None fled, none left the others

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  And now Folki is the last of his line

  Revenge is sweet like aged wine

  The Franks have paid a fearful price

  There slain by Heart of Ice

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  Folki and his men nodded their approval. Einar and his men had taken the trouble to learn a song. The Saxons dismounted as we approached. They obviously thought that we were foolhardy enough to land and attack them. They formed a shield wall. We had six bows. As we closed to within a hundred paces I shouted, “Back water! Release! The six of us could send ten arrows over in the time it takes a warrior to don his mail byrnie. They were not expecting the arrows. With our well-made arrows and at such close range they penetrated mail. The ones who managed to raise their shields saved themselves but ten men were struck by our sixty arrows. We may have killed one or two but what mattered was that we had shown them we were not afraid and we could hurt them at a distance.

  “Now we can go home. They will remember this drekar, Einar the Bear Killer, and they will remember your men.”

  The benevolent wind carried us home although the weather was less than kind. It rained incessantly. The captured animals complained and the captives moaned. It took all day and half of the night to reach our home. The drekar could have reached it quicker but we had our consorts to watch. I smiled as the captives and sheep were disembarked. Einar would learn that a successful raid meant work. The ship would have to be cleaned! It was full of waste both human and animal. We laid the mail and the weapons on the quay. I saw Einar looking longingly at the mail byrnies.

  “Take your mail then, Einar. You are the leader of this crew and it is your right.”

  “I did not slay the men who wore this armour, Jarl Hrolf. It was you and Folki who slew those with mail.”

  “Do you see the mail which Folki and I wear? It was made by Bagsecg. This is Saxon mail. It is adequate but do you think we would exchange ours for this?”

  “But you could sell it.”

  “You are of our clan now. Take it. We are content.”

  Three of hi
s crew now had mail. Everyone had a helmet and they took the Saxon swords. They were good weapons. It was a start and a good one.

  Thanks to the animals we had taken we had a better winter than we might have expected. No one went hungry. We had a surplus. In fact, I think the captives we took ate better with us than they would have done if they had been free. Most of the women of child bearing age were already married by the winter solstice. The only sad note was the fact that our son did not return for Yule. He was busy with his new hall. We had messages from him. They were mainly requests for stone and for wood. He knew what he wanted for his hall and he knew where he could find what he needed: the Haugr. He seemed happy enough. His rider told me that he smiled more and was on good terms with Flambard and his family. Wyrd . His messages were all positive save for one when he mentioned a Breton ship sailing close to Flambard’s home.

  I found it easier to think when riding. I mounted Dream Strider. I would no longer use him for war. It was not fair. He would sire foals until the Allfather took him. He had served me well. I used him to ride around my land. It made me feel like a young warrior again when I had had no responsibilities save those of a rider. Now I was jarl and I had a weight of expectation on my shoulders. If I made a bad mistake men would die. Worse than that, families would suffer. I was no longer my own master.

  I rode down the beach. The cold winter wind whistled from the west. The white caped waves rolled in from the unending seas. It made me think of the dead warrior in the log boat sent to the Otherworld with a black squirrel. What lay beyond the horizon? Leif the Red had decided to leave the clan. He had spoken to me first. He wanted to sail beyond the sunset. The black squirrel and the dead warrior had not made him fearful, they had made him curious. I had let him go. He had stayed in Dorestad after the last visit by Siggi. He was following his dream. The Dragonheart had let me follow mine. I wondered what he would find. My nights had been haunted by the thought that there was something out there.

  The rolling waves and the crashing surf brought me back to Angia and the Bretons. I could not just ignore the threat. The Bretons had said they would keep the peace. From what I understood the men of Angia were part of the Breton world but regarded themselves as above its laws. I would need to visit there and speak with them. They needed to know the consequences of war with the clan of the horse. I saw Gilles’ gyrus in the distance. I reined in Dream Strider. We had come far enough. I turned him around and walked back up the beach. If I took a large drekar then they might regard that as an act of war. Besides, it was winter and my three largest drekar were laid up on the slipways. ‘Bear’s Claw’ was still at the Haugr. The prickling sensation at the back of my neck told me that I should take ‘Bear’s Claw’ .